The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band Set To Relieve Jack's Big Music Show Withdrawal Symptoms June 22

She performed with a whole bunch of folks at a Haiti benefit, she's performing with a whole bunch of folks for, er, Nickolodeon's benefit, and what else is Laurie Berkner going to do now? (No, not go to Disneyland. She's a Nick girl.) Well, as previously reported, she's going to release a greatest hits album.

Now we have the full details -- album art there to the side (which does reward the close viewer of the art -- see the moon with the nightlight chain?), release date (June 22), and track listing. It includes a few audio tracks from previously-released videos and "Open Your Heart," newly recorded with the band.

From an industry perspective, I find the release interesting because it's really the first greatest hits release from a kids music star in the digital world. How well will it do if folks can easily just make their own "greatest hits" CDs? Or do people still buy full albums, even for (especially for) kids? Track listing below:
1. Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz) from Buzz Buzz
2. Rocketship Run from Rocketship Run
3. Victor Vito from Victor Vito
4. We Are The Dinosaurs from Whaddaya Think Of That?
5. I’m Gonna Catch You from Under A Shady Tree
6. Moon Moon Moon from Victor Vito
7. Pig On Her Head from Buzz Buzz
8. Fast And Slow (The Rabbit And The Turtle) from Rocketship Run
9. I’m Not Perfect from Victor Vito
10. I Really Love To Dance from Buzz Buzz
11. BOOTS from Victor Vito
12. Five Days Old from Rocketship Run
13. The Goldfish audio recording from the DVD We Are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band (2005)
14. Monster Boogie from Buzz Buzz
15. Song In My Tummy from Under A Shady Tree
16. I Know A Chicken from Whaddaya Think Of That?
17. Under A Shady Tree from Under A Shady Tree
18. Pig On Her Head audio recording from Nick Jr.’s Move To The Music video (2004)
19. Moon Moon Moon audio recording from the DVD We Are . . . The Laurie Berkner Band (2005)
20. Open Your Heart written for the kids of the Pajama Program (2010)

Nickolodeon's Mega Music Fest: Biggest Mashup Ever

What do you get when you cross Yo Gabba Gabba! with the Laurie Berkner Band and Colbie Caillat? Synergy!

Or, at least, that's what Nickolodeon believes, as they announced yesterday the first-ever "Mega Music Fest." (Note to self: "Mega" is no longer a prefix, apparently. It's a word unto itself.) On May 22 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the channel will be hosting the concert and taping it for a prime-time special this summer. In addition to the folks above, the concert will feature Wycleaf Jean, the Roots, Dora the Explorer, and the Fresh Beat Band, along with Sherri Shepherd and John Leguziamo. Caillat, Jean, and the Roots will apparently be performing duets with the other folks.

For those of you thinking that this would make for a fun live concert experience, you're going to have to know people -- there's no mention of the concert on the BAM calendar even though it's just ten days before the concert.

I'm 99% sure that Caillat, Jean, and the Roots will be performing with the Nickolodeon folks, but would it be too much to ask for at least a Roots/Berkner performance? (Yes, apparently it would.)

Photo credit: Todd Owyoung

Video: "My Family" - Laurie Berkner (with Elizabeth Mitchell, Suzi Shelton, Dirty Sock Funtime Band)

When Laurie Berkner pulls Elizabeth Mitchell, Suzi Shelton, and the Dirty Sock Funtime Band onto the stage during her set at the Haiti benefit they all performed at last weekend at Joe's Pub in New York City, well, that demands YouTubery. It's like The Last Waltz, but shorter and with lower video quality.

Laurie Berkner Band (and a cast of a dozen) - "My Family" (Live) [YouTube]

Laurie Berkner Band's Greatest Hits Album On Its Way. Eventually.

"On its way" implies a level of progress that isn't really there (unless you think more theoretically than I) but Laurie Berkner has announced that the band is rehearsing some of the songs that will appear on The Laurie Berkner Band's Greatest Hits Album. (They actually append it with "!!!," but that didn't seem very journalistic of me.) So, yeah, there's gonna be a Laurie Berkner greatest hits album. No additional info except that a special version of "Open Your Heart" will be on it. How did that song go again?...
Laurie Berkner Band - "Open Your Heart" [YouTube]

Share: "Open Your Heart" - Laurie Berkner

Laurie Berkner takes her time recording and releasing music, so new music from her is worth noting. New music from Laurie Berkner for free for a good cause is definitely worth noting.

Starting today and through February 28, the Pajama Program will be offering visitors to their website a chance to download "Open Your Heart," a new song recorded by Berkner especially for the organization, which provides new, warm sleepwear and books to children in need. (Berkner played several "Pajama Party" concerts in 2009 where she asked fans to bring pajamas and books for the program.) It's jaunty, sweet, and should have a shelf life beyond the month of February.

And there are hand motions, apparently. Berkner's going to sing the song on her Valentine's Day webcast, with daughter Lucy doing the hand motions.

If you want your chance to be in a Laurie Berkner video (in a manner of speaking), you can also film your kids dancing to the song and send those videos to the Pajama Program by February 22 -- they'll be compiled into a single video that the program will use to promote itself. It's not quite fame and fortune, but perhaps it's a small part of a good deed, which is enough for a Monday, no?

Anyway, go here to download the track.